ᐅ 160 m² single-family house with timber frame construction on a north-facing slope, including a basement

Created on: 26 Aug 2018 17:03
L
Lbx
Hello,

below you will find our (almost) final floor plan. Only a few adjustments and changes to the windows are still being made. We would appreciate your feedback.

Development Plan / Restrictions
Construction according to Paragraph 34 of the Building Code. Neighboring buildings are 1.5 to 2 stories with pitched roofs.

Plot Size
3000m2 (approximately 0.74 acres), building area around 600m2 (0.15 acres) along the street

Slope
Approximately 2m (6.6 feet) diagonal incline where the house will be located, rising from southwest to northeast

Orientation
South (uphill side)

Client Requirements: Style, Roof Type, Building Type
Single-family house, pitched roof (most cost-effective), rather open design

Basement, Floors
Full basement + 2 floors

Number of Occupants, Age
2 adults + 2 children (planned)

Room Requirements on Ground Floor and Upper Floor
Open kitchen + dining area + living room, pantry, study, guest WC, parents’ area (bedroom, walk-in closet, bathroom), children’s area (2 bedrooms + bathroom), garage, utility room, storage room

Office: Family use or home office?
Family use + emergency children’s bedroom

Overnight Guests per Year
1-2

Open or Closed Architecture
Rather open

Conservative or Modern Building Style
Rather modern

Open Kitchen, Kitchen Island
Open kitchen, island not necessary

Number of Dining Seats
6

Fireplace
No

Music / Stereo Wall
5.1 surround, approx. 3 meters (10 feet) for TV, etc.

Balcony, Roof Terrace
No

Garage, Carport
In the basement

House Design
Who Created the Plan:

Floor plan from a construction company, modified according to our wishes by the planner of a prefab house company (structural engineer)

What Do You Like Especially? Why?

- Separate parents’ area

- Open design with living room accessible from two sides

- Staircase on the north side, where the street is

- Garage inside the house

- Large windows facing south

- Living room + kitchen + dining areas facing south

- Open ridge ceiling on the upper floor

What Do You Dislike? Why?

- Low, small windows on the upper floor due to the 1.8m (5.9 feet) knee wall height – we will probably raise this to 2.10m (6.9 feet)

- Boring exterior appearance

- Small study room, but currently the best compromise for us

- Kitchen windows not floor-to-ceiling, will be changed

- Possibly too few windows

Cost Estimate from Architect / Planner:

Approximately 400,000 Euro turnkey, including photovoltaic system and natural fiber insulation (ecological) fixed-price offer including basement, electric garage door, etc.

Laminate flooring

External roller blinds in living/kitchen/dining areas

No controlled mechanical ventilation.

No waterproof concrete basement (no “white tank” system).

Personal Price Limit for the House, Including Equipment:
House including all ancillary costs 470,000 Euro

Preferred Heating Technology:
Air-to-water heat pump + photovoltaic system

If You Had to Cut Back, Which Details / Extensions Could You Forgo:
Basement, but due to the slope it does not make much economic sense. Otherwise, we have already cut back as much as we can imagine.

Why Does the Design Look Like It Does Now?
We liked the design from the start, especially the south orientation of all main rooms suits the plot very well.

What Is the Most Important / Basic Question About the Floor Plan in 130 Characters or Less?
1. From what knee wall height do windows including rolling shutters below the knee wall really make sense? At 1.8m (5.9 feet) knee wall, windows would be at hip height, which is not a solution for us. For example, in the children’s room, a desk should fit underneath.

2. According to the soil report, we have about 1m (3.3 feet) of soil class 4 and below that soil class 5-6. What costs could be expected for earthworks on a sloped site?

3. Do you think a mechanical ventilation system is essential in a timber frame house? According to two reputable prefab house providers, it is mostly unnecessary and mainly important only for allergy sufferers.

A small note on the attached files: in the Google Maps image, south is at the top and the plot is where the two yellow markers are. In the views, I sketched around a bit unfortunately.

Topographic site plan of a plot with terrain contours and survey lines


Aerial view of a residential area with plots, trees and streets, markers visible


Floor plan of a house with garage, car, utility room, basement and entrance.


Upper floor plan with bedroom, walk-in closet, 2 bathrooms, hallway, 2 children’s rooms


Floor plan of a house: hallway, study, pantry, kitchen, dining, living room.


Modern white single-family home with garage on lower floor, many windows and green slope.


Modern white house with dark pitched roof, large glass fronts and wooden terrace.
L
Lbx
31 Aug 2018 08:48
kbt09 schrieb:
That’s not very nice to the children, placing them in the north and by the street.

We will have to make compromises somewhere to reduce costs. As a teenager, I always thought it was really cool to have my own space in the basement.
Apart from that, the children are only planned at the moment. Who knows, in the end we might not be able to have any at all...
kaho67431 Aug 2018 09:38
kbt09 schrieb:
That’s not very kind to the children, putting them in the north and by the street.

What’s the point in complaining for so long? Better to have a north-facing kids’ room than none at all, and better to build solidly than to be overindebted and unable to maintain your house.

A new plan is needed.
H
haydee
31 Aug 2018 10:32
Slope and budget do not make the square of the circle any easier. You have to make compromises.
A children’s room on the north side, facing the street, does not have to mean a barren stone landscape and dark spaces. The rooms can be bright, pleasant, with a view of a nice front garden.
Y
ypg
31 Aug 2018 10:48
Lbx schrieb:
At the moment we are considering making fundamental changes by moving the children’s bedrooms and children’s bathroom to the basement,
Lbx schrieb:
At some point we will have to make compromises to reduce costs

I am shocked.
Are your children actually getting everything you thought was cool? A BMX bike... but you’re probably not that old yet... Just give them a handheld gaming device, and they’ll have to think it’s cool like you do?!
At 15 years old, do they really have the same expectations as when they were 1 or 9?

However, you are right: if there isn’t enough money, you give up the basement (here the third floor) and a garage built into the house that provides additional living space.
If you don’t want to build without a basement because of the slope, then build a basement with the parents’ area, have living space on the ground floor, and leave the roof space unfinished. If children come later, you can still convert the attic.

So this design is basically suitable for putting aside.
H
haydee
31 Aug 2018 11:09
Ypg, this way around is better.

No matter what, some rooms need to be located on the lower level.
kaho67431 Aug 2018 11:26
ypg schrieb:


If you don’t want to build without a basement because of the slope, consider having a basement with the parents’ area, living space on the ground floor, and leave the attic unfinished. Then, if children come along, you can finish the attic.
Simply finishing the attic later with two children’s bedrooms and having a loan to manage is not impossible, but I would be cautious. It will probably cost just as much in five years as it does now, and the loan likely won’t be paid off by then. So where would the money suddenly come from?

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